Reading while Driving

Have you ever tried to read a text message on your cell phone while driving? I hear that it’s a tough thing to do, and not very safe. But what if you want to catch up on a book, or learn something new and you just don’t have the time? Simple, learn the secret to reading while driving.

What’s the secret? Is it an Evelyn Wood speed-reading-at-the-stop-signs thing? Is it a virtual-reality screen superimposed on your windshield? Maybe some other never before disclosed space-age technology? No…no…and no. The secret, not surprisingly, is to listen to books on CD in your car stereo. Surprised? Skeptical? Uninterested?

It was difficult for me to find any credible statistics on the subject, but my anecdotal (i.e. bogus) evidence suggests that just about everybody is doing it. Especially all of the cool people. It wasn’t that long ago that I was a naysayer myself, but once I tried it, I was hooked. The beauty is that not only can you listen to books, but there are also some interesting learning programs available now too.

This is actually my wife’s fault (isn’t it always). She bought Freakonomics on CD (which now apparently has a blog) and it was fantastic, convenient and easy to digest in a vocal format. One of the nice things is that you can find some good titles at your library, or buy them from online sites like www.audible.com and others. if you’re a MAC or iPod person, of course you can find titles on iTunes too. I recently found a Seth Godin title there that I had been looking for (see previous post)

Sometimes it may take more than a single pass to really absorb what you’re reading, and of course you probably shouldn’t have a book on CD running while you’re applying lipstick (for guys: chewing gum) and talking on the cell. Splitting your concentration that much could affect your driving safety.

This is another “give it a try” posting. It’s cheap and easy (mind out of the gutter) and can really benefit you in the long run. Nothing says they can’t be fiction, although you know me…I’m all about the business titles. To each their own…

James usually borrow Audio books from the library. His drive in SLC sometimes last for an hour, I work on base and my drive is only about 10 minutes so unless a cow passed through, the drive is not that bad ;-). Good topic though!